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13.05.015 Permit Required for Specified Animal Facility.

A. No person shall operate or maintain any specified animal facility unless a permit has first been obtained from the Director.

B. Applications for specified animal facility permits shall be made upon forms furnished by the Director, and shall be accompanied by payment of the required fee. Specified animal facility permits shall be valid from the date of issuance until such time a the Director determines by inspection that the facility is not being maintained in compliance with the issuance criteria. Applications for a specified animal facility permit shall be accompanied by adequate evidence, as determined by the Director, that the applicant has notified all of the property owners and residents within 150 feet of the property lines of the property on which the specified animal facility will be located.

C. The Director shall issue a specified animal facility permit to the applicant, only after the Director has reviewed a completed and signed application which grants the Director permission to enter and inspect the facility at any reasonable time, and assuring the Director that the issuance criteria have been met. If the Director has reasonable grounds to believe that an inspection is necessary, the Director shall inspect the facility in order to determine whether the issuance criteria have been met. The criteria for issuing a specified animal facility permit are as follows:

1. The facility is in good repair, capable of being maintained in a clean and in a sanitary condition, free of vermin, obnoxious smells and substances;

2. The facility will not create a nuisance or disturb neighboring residents due to noise, odor, damage or threats to public health;

3. The facility will reasonably prevent the specified animal from roaming at large. When necessary for the protection of the public health and safety, the Director may require the specified animal be kept or confined in a secure enclosure so that the animal will not constitute a danger to human life or property;

4. Adequate safeguards are made to prevent unauthorized access to the specified animal by general members of the public;

5. The health or well being of the animal will not be in any way endangered by the manner of keeping or confinement;

6. The facility will be adequately lighted and ventilated;

7. The facility is located on the applicant's property so as to be at least 15 feet from any building used or capable of being used for human habitation, not including the applicant's own dwelling. Facilities for keeping bees, such as beehives or apiaries, shall be at least 15 feet from any public walkway, street or road, or any public building, park or recreation area, or any residential dwelling. Any public walkway, street, or road or any public building, park or recreation area, or any residential dwelling, other than that occupied by the applicant, that is less than 150 feet from the applicant beehives or apiaries shall be protected by a six foot hedgerow, partition, fence or similar enclosure around the beehive or apiary, installed on the applicant's property.

8. If applicable, the structure must comply with the City's building code and must be consistent with the requirements of any applicable zoning code, condition of approval of a land use decision or other land use regulation; and

9. The applicant shall demonstrate, to the Director's satisfaction, sufficient ability to respond to any claims for damages for personal injury or property damage which may be caused by any specified animal kept at the facility.

a. The Director may require the applicant to provide proof of sufficient liability Insurance to respond to damages for any personal or property damages caused by any specified animal kept at the facility. The insurance shall provide that the insurance shall not be canceled or materially altered so as to be out of compliance with the requirements of this Chapter without thirty (30) days written notice first being given to the Director. The applicant shall provide a certificate of insurance to the Director within ten (10) days of the issuance of the permit. The Director shall revoke the permit upon any failure to maintain sufficient liability insurance as required under this subsection.

D. Each specified animal facility permit issued by the Director shall be conditioned on the applicant maintaining the facility in compliance with each of the issuance criteria. If the Director determines by inspection that the specified animal facility is not being maintained in compliance with the issuance criteria, the specified animal facility permit shall no longer be valid and shall be revoked. Before operation of the facility resumes, submission of a new application for a specified animal facility permit accompanied by payment of the permit fees shall be required, and the facility shall not be allowed to operate until such time as the Director has inspected the facility and determined that all issuance criteria have been met. The Director may impose other conditions on the permit, including but not limited to, a bond or security deposit necessary to protect the public health or safety.

E. A person keeping a total of three or fewer chickens, ducks, doves, pigeons, pygmy goats or rabbits shall not be required to obtain a specified animal facility permit. If the Director determines that the keeper is allowing such animals to roam at large, or is not keeping such animals in a clean and sanitary condition, free of vermin, obnoxious smells and substances, then the person shall be required to apply for a facility permit to keep such animals at the site.

F. These provisions for specified animal control are intended to provide city-wide regulations for keeping specified animals within the City. However, due to the variety of animals covered by these regulations and the circumstances under which they may be kept, these regulations should be applied with flexibility. Variances provide flexibility for unusual situations, while maintaining control of specified animals in an urban setting. The Director should grant variances if the proposal meets the intended purpose of the regulation, while not complying with the strict literal requirements.

1. Applicants for a specified animal permit may request a variance from the requirements set forth in Section 13.05.015 C. In determining whether to grant a variance request, the Director shall consider the following criteria:

a. Impacts resulting from the proposed variance will be mitigated as much as possible;

b. If more than one variance is proposed, the cumulative impact would still be consistent with the overall purpose of the regulations; and,

c. If in a residential area, the proposed variance will not significantly detract from the public health or safety in the area.

2. The Director may impose conditions on any variance, as may be appropriate to protect the public health or safety or the health or safety of the animals.

a. The Director may, at any time, revoke any variance, or amend the conditions thereof, as may be appropriate to protect the public health or safety or the health or safety of the animals.

b. Failure to comply with the conditions of any variance issued under Section 13.05.015 F is a violation of this Chapter.